Jesse runs 2 3/4 miles for 1/2 hour at a constant rate

Question

What is Jesse speed in miles per hour?

Answer 1

To find Jesse's speed in miles per hour, we can use the formula for speed, which is:

$$\text{Speed}=\frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Time}}$$

Jesse runs a distance of $2\frac{3}{4}$ miles, which can be converted to an improper fraction:

$$2\frac{3}{4}=\frac{11}{4}\text{ miles}$$

The time taken is $\frac{1}{2}$ hour.

Now we can substitute the values into the speed formula:

$$\text{Speed}=\frac{\frac{11}{4}\text{ miles}}{\frac{1}{2}\text{ hour}}$$

To divide by a fraction, we multiply by its reciprocal:

$$\text{Speed}=\frac{11}{4}\times \frac{2}{1}=\frac{11\times 2}{4\times 1}=\frac{22}{4}=\frac{11}{2}\text{ miles per hour}$$

Now converting $\frac{11}{2}$ into a decimal gives:

$$\frac{11}{2}=5.5$$

Thus, Jesse's speed is $\mathbf{5.5}$ miles per hour.